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Civility in America 2014: Forecast Bleak but with Glimmer of Hope for Millennials

Tuesday 21 October, 2014

The fifth installment of Civility in America from global public relations firm Weber Shandwick and public affairs firm Powell Tate with KRC Research looks at civility through a generational lens to better understand what the future holds for society.

Civility in America 2014 reiterates that America has a civility deficit. The overwhelming majority of each generation – Millennials (93 per cent), Gen Xers (92 per cent), Boomers (94 per cent) and the Silent Generation (97 per cent) – perceives a civility problem in America.

Although Americans are unanimous about the bleak state of civility, the Millennial generation seems less convinced of a more uncivil future. Nearly one in four Millennials (23 per cent) – two to four times the percentage of other generations – believe civility will improve in the next few years. Despite their uncivil experiences, Millennials are America’s most hopeful adults when it comes to tomorrow’s civility.

There is a distinct divide between older and younger generations about what lies behind America’s civility problem. Millennials and Generation X say the internet and social media are responsible for worsening civility, while Boomers and the Silent Generation place the most blame on politicians.